Live small fish such as minnows are used to catch larger fish by putting them on a hook as bait for the larger fish. This type of bait has been used successfully for numerous years and it has proved to be excellent at attracting and catching fish. This is understandable since the bait fish is put on the hook in such a manner that it continues to stay alive for a period of time and to wiggle and attempt to swim and these movements and the blood from the bait fish attract larger fish. Obviously such live bait fish can not be reused since they are either eaten or die and hence lose their effectiveness. This means that there must be an adequate supply of live bait fish available to the fisherman at the the place where he is fishing.
Unfortunately, many fishing locations are in remote areas and far from an abundant supply of live bait fish. This situation makes it difficult to provide fisherman with the desired supply of live bait fish for the anticipated fishing. Fish are difficult to transport satisfactory since they require water at the right temperature and with the right oxygen concentration to survive and this increases both the bulk and the weight of the package or container that must be transported. Moreover, fish require special tanks to survive for any length of time and unless there is a steady market for bait fish a potential supplier will be reluctant to make the necessary investment to transport and supply bait fish.
This means that the fisherman, in many instances, must provide his own source of bait fish. Fortunately, most bodies of water contain at least some amount of bait fish and these bait fish can be trapped using a bait fish trap. Unfortunately, most bait fish traps have undesirable characteristics. Many are comparatively bulky and heavy and are hence they are difficult to transport particularly to the remote location where they are to be used.
Many bait fish traps are not entirely satisfactory in physically catching the bait fish and keeping them in the trap. Many bait fish traps do not readily attract bait fish into the trap and many of the traps allow bait fish that are physically in the trap to readily leave the trap. Consequently, the success rate of such bait fish traps is low. Another problem that current bait fish traps have is that they are not readily transportable by the fisherman to the fishing location because they are too bulky or too heavy. Most bait fish traps are not designed to be readily collapsible and hence they are comparatively bulky which restricts their transportability and hence their suitability for use in many remote fishing locations. In general, bait fish traps also lack flexibility in terms of being able to perform under different circumstances and this greatly reduces their flexibility and usefulness.
The collapsible bait fish trap invention overcomes these problems associated with previous bait fish traps and provides a bait fish trap that effectively draws bait fish into the trap and also has provisions for keeping the bait fish in the trap. The collapsible bait fish trap is compact and light weight and can easily be taken into remote locations. When the collapsible bait fish trap is collapsed it is roughly one half of its operational size which permits it to be stored in a boat, canoe, a light plane or even a back pack. The collapsible bait fish trap is designed for multiple uses so that it can be used effectively both in still water such as lakes and also in moving water such as in a river or a stream. In addition, the collapsible bait fish trap can also be used to store bait fish that have already been trapped.
This invention relates to fish traps and more particularly to fish traps for bait fish that are used by fishermen to catch larger fish.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a bait fish trap that is collapsible.
It is an object of the invention to provide a collapsible bait fish trap for catching live bait fish in a body of water.
It is an object of the invention to provide a collapsible bait fish trap for catching live bait fish in a body of water that reliably traps bait fish.
It is an object of the invention to provide a collapsible bait fish trap for catching live bait fish in a body of water that reduces the chance of bait fish leaving the trap.
It is an object of the invention to provide a collapsible bait fish trap for catching live bait fish in a body of water that is flexible in its use.
It is an object of the invention to provide a collapsible bait fish trap for catching live bait fish in a body of water that can be configured for trapping bait fish in both still water such as a lake as well as in moving water such as a river or a stream.
It is an object of the invention to provide a collapsible bait fish trap for catching live bait fish in a body of water that is readily transported.
It is an object of the invention to provide a collapsible bait fish trap for catching live bait fish in a body of water that can be stored in a compact configuration.
It is an object of the invention to provide a collapsible bait fish trap for catching live bait fish in a body of water that has major portions that can be nestled together.
It is an object of the invention to provide a collapsible bait fish trap for catching live bait fish in a body of water that can be used where storage space is limited.
It is an object of the invention to provide a collapsible bait fish trap for catching live bait fish in a body of water that is easy to assemble.
It is an object of the invention to provide a collapsible bait fish trap for catching live bait fish in a body of water that has few parts.
It is an object of the invention to provide a collapsible bait fish trap for catching live bait fish in a body of water that is light in weight.
It is an object of the invention to provide a collapsible bait fish trap for catching live bait fish in a body of water that is resistant to breakage.
It is an object of the invention to provide a collapsible bait fish trap for catching live bait fish in a body of water that is primarily made from plastic.
It is an object of the invention to provide a collapsible bait fish trap for catching live bait fish in a body of water that is easy to locate or place in use and to retrieve.
It is an object of the invention to provide a collapsible bait fish trap for catching live bait fish in a body of water that is simple in its operation.
It is an object of the invention to provide a collapsible bait fish trap for catching live bait fish in a body of water that is less expensive to ship because it is collapsible.
It is an object of the invention to provide a collapsible bait fish trap for catching live bait fish in a body of water that can be configured for multipurpose uses.
It is an object of the invention to provide a collapsible bait fish trap for catching live bait fish in a body of water that is capable of being configured for use in storing live bait fish when it is not being used to catch bait fish.
These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following described collapsible bait fish trap for catching live bait fish in a body of water that includes an elongated hollow fish enclosure formed from two connected generally conical shaped portions with each generally conical shaped portion having a connectable inner portion and an outer end portion having an inward extending funnel member portion for funneling or channeling bait fish into the interior of the elongated hollow fish enclosure. Since the funnel extends inward or toward the center portion of the hollow fish enclosure it causes bait fish to swim into the center portion of the elongated hollow fish enclosure and since the surface of the funnel walls that face the interior of the hollow fish enclosure taper outward and away from the funnel exit hole they direct bait fish away from the funnel exit hole so that the bait fish remain trapped in the interior of the hollow fish enclosure. A rod member is also provided that is located in the interior of the elongated hollow fish enclosure so that it substantially intersects the long central axis of the hollow fish enclosure. This rod member diverts bait fish swimming along the long central axis of the hollow fish enclosure so that they remain trapped in the interior of the hollow fish enclosure.